Boundaries
by Carmensandiego79
Summary: Just a little snippet about Abbie/Crane and crossing boundaries..
1. Chapter 1

"Ahhh", she sighed as her butt hit the couch and her feet flew off the ground.

She heard a snicker beside her and opened her eyes, watching as Crane set two glasses of wine on the living room table in front of them and joined her on the opposite end of the couch.

"Tough day, Leftenant?" He asked tenderly as they both picked up their glasses and enjoyed the flavor of the full-bodied red.

She smiled and sighed. "You ever have one of those days Crane where all you want to do is curl into a ball and put the world on mute so you can have some peace?"

He looked over at her and smiled, nodding his head.

"And believe you me, I understand the irony in the statement I just made. Because for 10 months all I had was peace and solitude. And it damn near drove me insane."

She stopped abruptly, but continued on.

"And now that I am back, in the land of the living, it seems that's what I'm craving most." She paused and closed her eyes, laughing softly. "Which is hilarious and sad and madly infuriating because for the life of me, I don't feel like the person who I used to be. And I'm not sure I ever will…"

When she opened her eyes again, she found his staring into hers. And quickly looked away.

Abbie had admittedly not done well with letting her fellow Witness in on exactly what she endured during her time away. And she could tell, with every glance and stare from his soft, blue eyes, that this fact saddened him to deep lengths. That she wouldn't allow herself to open up… not even to him.

"I wish I could do more… for you." She heard him say softly. And immediately regretted bringing up her feelings at all.

"You have Crane." She said as she reached over and grabbed his hand. "Your constant fretting over me and spoiling me to no end with gourmet meals and fancy wine by candlelight has been one of the only things keeping me here and present."

He chuckled and she let go of his hand, picking up her wine glass.

"It's helping me more than you know." She said softly as she finished it in two gulps. "To be honest, I think you're trying to get me drunk so I can forget what happened to me and fall into a state of bliss every other evening."

He laughed, picking up her empty wine glass and walking into the kitchen to re-fill it.

"While that is not my intent, Leftenant. If you find that wine helps, far be it from me to deny you its spoils."

When he returned to the living room, he saw her taking her boots off and placed the wine glass in front of her as she finished.

She had been working late hours since agreeing to rejoin the FBI force. And Crane had thought, a few too many times, of calling into Agent Reynolds and giving him a good piece of his mind for allowing her to maintain twelve hour work days without being fully healed.

But if the Leftenant was clear on one thing, it was boundaries. And though having a talk with Agent Reynolds would settle his mind, it would for sure cause more grief to Abbie.

And that was something he would never do.

So he sat by, hoping one day soon she would allow the impenetrable wall she held guarded in front of her to break down. And she would let him in. But for now, even if all he could offer was his presence at her side, that was what he shall give.

His thoughts were interrupted by an expletive coming from her mouth as he turned and saw red wine dripping from her chin onto her new white shirt.

"See Crane…. I'm drunk." She said as she laughed, placing the glass on the table in front of her and attempting to undo the damage that had already been done.

"Oh dear", Crane said as he jumped up and ran to the kitchen to get some club soda and a napkin. (He had learned that trick from Martha Stewart.) And he sat idly by as Abbie attempted to get the stain out of her shirt, failing miserably.

"Well.. I guess that's what I get for not changing into pajamas immediately when I get home." She looked over at him sheepishly. "Would you mind going to get me a shirt and shorts out of my drawer, Crane? I would get up but my feet are killing me and if I go into my room, I don't doubt I'd fall onto my bed and not wake up til the morning."

"Of course, Leftenant." He said warily. "But if it is sleep you desire, do not feel an obligation to continue this conversation here with me. I only want what is best for you."

"No." She said, rather fast. "I want to sit here… and talk. It's nice."

He nodded, blushingly, and disappeared for a minute to retrieve a new shirt and shorts.

When he had returned, the Leftenant was already unbuttoning out her work shirt. And it caught him off guard.

He handed her one of her favorite shirts & shorts to lounge around the house in, avoiding eye contact. And went to the opposite end of the couch, taking another long sip of his wine.

"It's okay, Crane. I'm decent." She said with a grin a minute later. "Do you not remember we've already seen each other shirtless thanks to the Sandman…"

He grinned, remembering the experience.

"How could I forget, Leftenant?" He said, a little less subtle than he had intended. And he watched her face study his, trying to decipher the meaning of his last statement.

Abbie had felt the subtle difference in him since her return. And admittedly, had brushed it off to him trying to acclimate back to having her in his life after the weeks she had been gone. But a woman knows…

Something had changed in her since her disappearance. But also in him. And it was something she wasn't yet ready to face. And damn sure wasn't yet ready to reciprocate.

She was lost in her thoughts when she heard him say her name loudly.

"Leftenant…" He called, for the second time. "You said your feet ail you?

"Sorry Crane… What?"

"Your feet…" He said with a little more force than intended. "They are sore, are they not? Allow me to remedy them, Leftenant."

She laughed, taken aback by his offer. "Crane, seriously. I'm fine. And don't you think you've spoiled me enough since? Now you want to rub my feet?"

His face took on a serious tone and a chill ran down her spine. "There will never be a such thing as spoiling you too much, Leftenant." He said as his eyes bore into hers.

She stood still, and thought about telling him she was fine and to respect boundaries. But a small part of Abbie also craved his attention. His touch. Anything from him that solidified that he was real and his presence was not a temporary figment of her imagination.

So she nodded softly and watched as he seemed surprised at her agreement.

Smiling softly, he scooted closer to her, bending over slightly to pick her feet up and place them in his lap.

He found himself laughing softly at her Hello Kitty socks that were a gift from Jenny a few Christmases ago. "Don't judge me Crane, they're comfortable", she once had told him.

He peeled them off slowly, throwing them down on the floor next to them and took her left foot into his hands.

Crane started off slowly, gently caressing her feet as if they were a most prized possession he was ever so lucky to hold. And Abbie closed her eyes as his fingers started to gently knead all the pains and turmoil of her day off of her. Taking her mind into a state of deep relaxation and contentment with every rub and squeeze.

"Damn, Crane." She said as she reached over to sip from her wine. "If I'd have known you knew how to do this all these years, we would have been having massage parties every evening."

He laughed. "I dare say, I'm glad this finds you pleasure, Leftenant. As I admit, this is my first go at a foot massage."

She stopped cold. "You never did this for Katrina?" She asked, and immediately wished she could've taken her words back. Bringing up his dead wife wasn't something that put Crane in the best of spirits.

He paused from rubbing her feet and looked over at her. "No." He said coldly. "This is something I've only just wished to do for you."

She looked away. Afraid of what his words meant and took another sip of her wine, allowing him to start back up with his massage and end that conversation as abruptly as it started.

When he switched to her right foot, Abbie fell in a trance. She closed her eyes, laying her head back on the sofa. After a few minutes, she felt his hands glide slowly up from her feet to her ankles. And soon, his hands were caressing and massaging her calves.

A soft sigh escaped from her lips as his hands touched her in ways they had never before. And she opened her eyes to see if Crane had noticed, and found him looking over at her. Still kneading and massaging, as his eyes glared into hers.

They were treading on dangerous ground here. Crossing boundaries they had never crossed. Abbie knew it. And she knew he did as well. But neither made a move to stop this sudden progression.

Instead her body had shifted, almost instinctively, to give him better position at her legs. Her back propped up on the side of the couch, she watched as he placed himself in the middle of her feet, parting her legs slightly.

Abbie dared not look into his eyes. Instead, focusing on his hands at her calves and innately aware of their ever slow but sure ascension above her knees.

When his hands reached the bottom of her thighs, she closed her eyes and reveled in his touch. Noticing when he scooted his position upwards so he was sitting directly in between her legs.

He concentrated on her left thigh first. Both hands rubbing and squeezing until she felt him switch sides and pay the same, immaculate attention to the other.

And it wasn't until he put one hand on each thigh, gently stroking her like an astute lover, that her eyes flew open, searching his for answers.

 _Were they really doing this?_ She thought to herself as she felt a pool of wetness forming at her core.

And looking into Crane's eyes, he was asking the same question. Asking permission…

Permission to pass beyond this already muddled line in the sand of their partnership to dive into far more dangerous waters.

And when he began caressing further into the inner parts of her thighs, she moaned, giving him all the answers he needed.

His hands pushed beyond the fabric of her square cut shorts, skirting around the most sensitive spots where her thigh met her core. And when his hand dared to touch further, gently brushing over the top of her lace panties, he felt her wetness and immediately lost his control.

"Crane..", she moaned heavily underneath him.

"Jesus, Abbie." He said lowly as she stared hungrily into his. "You have no idea how much I love you."

He had begun to bend over to take her mouth into his, when he heard the front door slam. Jenny appearing in the doorway...

Abbie & Crane scrambled to regain a hold of themselves as wide eyes and a shocked expression gazed over at them.

"Oh shit, guys", Jenny said as she turned around to give them privacy. "I'm so sorry, I'll come back another time."

"No. No. It's fine, Jenny." Abbie stated, now on her feet as she walked over to try to persuade her sister to stay.

"Umm… it is most definitely not fine, Abbie." Jenny said softly. "I am SO sorry to interrupt… Call me tomorrow, ok?"

And she turned to head out the door and back into her car.

Abbie put her head in her hands and turned around slowly, watching as Crane stood red-faced next to the couch.

"Leftenant….", he said softly as he watched her dart, eyes down, to her bedroom without saying a word.

"Abbie… please." He yelled, as she stopped suddenly and turned around.

"Crane…. I can't." She said softly. "I can't talk about this now…."

And she turned on her heels, heading upstairs to her bedroom as he was left wondering if there was any possible way to rectify what had just occurred.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been over an hour since the Leftenant had confined herself to her bedroom. And Crane, being a man of honor and integrity, had spent the entire time berating himself for his actions that had caused her to retreat upstairs. Away from him.

It was his fault. Of that, he was positive. He was the one who had pushed the boundaries. He was the one who had pressed things further than she had been ready to go.

He had been reckless. Acting without proper thought or consideration of the consequences. And the end result was the Leftenant feeling the need to hide herself from him, and the actions they had both engaged in.

Crane loved his partner.

He had known it for some time. But hadn't quite realized the extent of that love until she disappeared and the possibility of life without her became a reality with each passing day.

And he could not believe he had cheapened that love for her by shouting it out so haphazardly in the middle of what had been a hasty act of which he had been the initiator.

He decided in that moment that he needed to speak with her. He needed to tell her how deeply regretful he was for ever taking her affection and trust for granted. For toying with something he valued so very much.

The stairs creaked when he made his way to her bedroom and he knocked gently on the door. Silence greeted him on the other end and he thought about leaving. But he knew his partner. And if she could push this incident to the back of her mind and never speak on it again, she would. And he couldn't allow that.

It wasn't until he knocked the second time that he heard her beyond the door frame.

"What is it, Crane?"

"Leftenant, please." He begged. "Please allow me to make amends for my actions downstairs."

The door creaked open and she stood on the other side. Her eyes puffy and red, presumably from crying.

"You don't need to make amends, Crane. I'm at fault just as much as you." She said as she turned around, sitting on her bed.

"You are wrong, Leftenant." He said, through choked speech. "The one thing I have always valued between the two of us is our trust of one another. And I took advantage of that tonight."

She looked down into her hands.

"You are still not yet healed from your ordeal. How barbaric of me to even attempt to…"

His words caught her attention and she looked up suddenly as he stopped, not knowing how to continue. Her mouth opened slightly, as if she were going to speak. But she didn't.

Silence filled her bedroom as he watched her draw within. Seemingly shutting him out, yet again, from her deepest thoughts.

"I am truly sorry, Leftenant." He said softly. "For crossing sacred boundaries with my actions… and my words."

When she looked up at him again, she saw tears forming in his eyes and looked away. This was too much right now… for her.

And Crane knew it.

Which was why he excused himself without a response in return and closed her door silently.

If Crane thought her walls had been up before, he knew they were about to get a whole lot denser now.

….

It was almost 11pm when he looked over at the clock on the wall. He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting in the same position on the couch but figured it had been awhile.

Deafening silence had filled the house since he had left the Leftenant's bedroom. No stirs. No water running from a bath or shower.

Nothing.

He had poured himself a glass of whiskey to calm his nerves but his lips had barely touched the savory drink. His regrets preventing him from enjoying anything that evening. Only to wallow in self-pity over what he had deemed to be a huge misstep in his relationship with his best friend.

He was just about to get up from the couch when he heard it. A creak in the floorboard behind him which made him swivel suddenly around to see the Leftenant standing but six feet away from him.

He was about to speak but she beat him to it.

"Did you mean it?" She asked softly.

His brow furrowed as he stood up to face her. Not understanding her question, his mouth opened but no words came out.

She sighed heavily, her face full of trepidation. "Did you mean what you said…. On the couch earlier?"

And it was in that instant that he knew what she was asking. The one question that was on her mind. And why shouldn't it have been. It was the thing he regretted most. That he had professed his love to her in the heat of a very rushed, and ill thought out moment.

He took a few steps toward her but stopped when it seemed she preferred the distance.

"With every fiber of my being." He stated truthfully.

She looked away for a moment, appearing uncomfortable still with his declaration. But he pressed on.

"Those words deserved more, Leftenant." He said quietly. "More than what I allowed them to be when I declared them in that moment. Because they… you…. are so much more to me than some fleeting thought."

When she looked back up at him, he saw a tear run down her eye and cringed.

"You are my everything, Leftenant." He said, barely above a whisper.

She choked up a sob and put her head in her hands, wiping tears away from her face as he stood before her professing his love, for the second time again that evening. And as much as Abbie wanted to run away from it…. and from him. She didn't.

"I've noticed… you know?" She said, almost laughing. "A change in you since I've been back. A change in us."

He nodded, acknowledging the truth within her words.

"Jenny told me how you were when I was gone." She said, almost guiltily. And he looked away, reflecting back on his erratic behavior to find her when she had gone missing.

"When I was in the Catacombs alone. Scared. Mourning my life and everything and everyone in it. My thoughts always drifted back to you. To us." She said, allowing her voice to drift off.

"You are what I could not live without." She whispered.

Crane recoiled at her statement. Her admittance. For this was far unlike anything she had ever shared before. The walls, that he had tried for so long and hard to break down, were crumbling before him. And he was in shock.

"Abbie…." He breathed out, almost unconsciously.

"Crane, you were wrong upstairs." She said sternly. "I may not be fully yet healed from everything that happened to me but I also am not a victim. Nor do I do things that are unwanted."

"I've been craving you, your touch, your presence since I got back. Wanting to push you away one second and never let you go in the next. Afraid that the one thing that I longed for the most in the Catacombs is going to be taken away from me, yet again."

She stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, collecting herself from the sudden onset of emotions. .

"So on that couch… whatever that was…." She said. "It wasn't something that I didn't want."

He allowed her words to sink in and watched as she took a seat on the couch. The same couch where a few hours ago discoveries had been made about each other.

Boundaries tested… and pushed.

He sat beside her, and sighed heavily, not knowing where this left things between them.

"Leftenant….", he said gently. "Abbie…. Tell me what you need from me."

She smiled at him and paused. "Well for one, I'd like you to remind me to lock the front door when I come home from work."

Crane couldn't help but laugh at her statement. He was positive the morning's conversation with Miss Jenny was sure to be one of record.

"But also… I've had a really hard time sleeping." She said as she looked over at him. "Would you lay with me?"

Crane was stunned. And completely molten.

"I'd be honored." He said as she got up and began to walk up the stairs to her bedroom.

Him following closely behind.


	3. Chapter 3

Crane was nervous. But he was doing his best not to show it as he followed a few steps behind the Leftenant as he entered her bedroom, stopping as soon as he crossed the door and waiting for her direction.

This was unchartered territory. As had been the case with many events of the evening between the two Witnesses. But this was different.

It was personal. Intimate.

He could count on one hand the number of times he had been in the Leftenant's bedroom since he had moved into her home. It wasn't a room he felt was his place to enter.

He looked over at her as she turned to face him, her face soft and a bit unsure.

"I've been ummm… sleeping on the floor." She said abruptly. "I tried sleeping in the bed the night I got back but I just laid there awake the whole night. Almost like the bed was too comfortable… I guess I grew used to rougher environments."

She sighed deeply, turning her attention to the queen bed that still looked as fresh and unbothered as the day she disappeared.

"But uhh, I'm growing tired of sleeping on the floor." She laughed softly. "My back is starting to hurt."

Crane smiled tenderly, innately bothered by how much pain she had been hiding from him these past few weeks.

"So I was going to try to sleep in the bed tonight." She paused.

"You don't have to hold me or anything…." She blurted out. "I could just use some company."

Unsure that words would flow from his lips because of his emotions, he simply nodded, and watched as she peeled the covers back on the left side of the bed and began to get in.

Crane took her lead, still fully clothed but comfortable in his favorite shirt and breeches, and moved towards the other side. Still in awe of how open and honest she was being with him about her struggles.

He tried not to allow his mind to wander, when she reached over and turned the nightstand light off. The room suddenly full of darkness and silence. The only sounds were their rapid breaths as they faced each other on opposite ends of the bed.

He wanted to thank her. For allowing him this and trusting him with so much of herself. Even though he still did not deem himself deserving. And he felt the need to be as honest with her as she had been with him. For even though there were things Miss Jenny had told her, she couldn't possibly know the extent of his agony when she went missing.

"I violated your space…." He said softly. "When you were away."

Crane heard her shift slightly in the bed, but continued on.

"There was one particular day when you were missing that I thought we had stumbled upon a good lead. And with the help of Agent Foster, I tracked it down only to discover it had been something perpetrating itself as you to gain entrance into this world.

"That evening was rough… for me. It was the first time I allowed myself the thought that maybe your return was not a certainty. That perhaps we would fail in finding you and you would be lost to me. Forever."

He sighed.

"Tonight is not the first time I have laid my head in your bed, Leftenant. That night, I couldn't sleep and found myself in this same position. Needing to be as near to you as I could… Of which, I hope you will understand and forgive me."

He heard a snicker from her mouth.

"That first night, Crane. That I tried sleeping in my bed after I returned from the Catacombs…. I smelled you. Your scent. On my sheets." She paused. "I thought I was going crazy."

Crane was bewildered for a moment. So she had known all along.

"I kept wondering why you would be in here, in my bedroom, when I went missing." She said. "But I get it. I do. I held onto everything I could of you when I was gone as well, Crane."

"Hmm…" He said, slowly. "It seems that we are both of which the other can not live without, Leftenant."

His eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the midnight hour and he thought he saw her ponder his statement. Her eyes closing briefly to reflect on his words.

"So what does my 'scent', as you so cleverly called it, smell like?" He asked amusingly.

He heard a low rumble in her voice as she processed his question.

"It's hard to describe. But it's most uniquely yours." She said teasingly. "When I first saw you in the Catacombs, before I knew you were an astral projection, and I ran to you. I couldn't wait to touch you… smell you."

She spoke honestly. And admittedly, as much as Crane longed to hear her inner thoughts, the conversation terrified him equally. For he knew his true feelings for the Leftenant went far beyond their bond as Witnesses. And he still was unsure if those feelings were reciprocated.

"I'm so tired of fighting this alone, Crane." She said, her voice shaky.

He reached out to her, grabbing her hand under the covers and caressing it gently with his thumb.

"I am here, Leftenant." He whispered. "And I will never leave you… As long as you have me."

They stayed in that position for a while. Crane caressing her hand in his, as she relaxed in his comfort. Abbie knew he was telling the truth. The Crane that had left her side for nine months without a word was not the same man in front of her today. He had once been unsure of the importance he held in her life. But he knew now their intrinsic bond was not only important…. It was a necessity, far greater than either was capable of realizing until just recently.

She let go of his hand and gradually moved closer to him, noticing his eyes opening wider, startled by her proximity. But Abbie needed to feel him. To touch and hold and be near to him.

Crane watched as she turned over and laid directly in front of him. Her back to his chest. She allowed herself to get as close as she could without directly touching him. And Crane lay frozen, wanting so desperately to reach out and hold her but worried it would over-step the boundaries she so dearly prized.

But he also knew this was an offering. Of herself, her vulnerabilities. All of the things she had so desperately held back from him since she had returned. And knowing this, he placed his hand on her left arm, softly caressing her skin as he closed the distance between them.

He heard her take a breath, her body relaxing in his touch. She reached her hand up, grabbing his from her arm and pulling around her waist. Crane closed his eyes and sighed.

Never in a million dreams would he have imagined the comfort and safety and love he felt in this moment. The Leftenant's return had been a miracle. Thwarted only by her resistance to grieve and acknowledge the struggles she faced. He had hoped beyond reason that she would come to him one night. Like this. Allowing him to share in her hurt. To unburden her of some of her pain.

Because they got through things. Together.

As if reading his mind, she squeezed his hand a little tighter. And Crane gently brushed his nose in her hair. Soaking in the scent of her shampoo as if it were the very oxygen he needed to breathe.

"I've missed you so much, Abbie." He said, his emotions getting the best of him. And he felt her freeze. The use of her first name still only something used in states of peril. Or adoration.

It held a certain intimacy in its own right. Although the world called her by it, thru Crane's lips, it meant so much more.

She turned over slightly, facing him in the dark as she stared into his eyes. His hand still wrapped around her, holding onto her desperately.

"Show me." She said softly to him in the darkness.

She watched his face beg for clarification, knowing the full meaning behind her statement but needing her to say it plainly for him.

"Show me how much you missed me, Crane."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thanks for sticking with me on this story! Hope you enjoy this final chapter!** _

* * *

He gazed at her in disbelief. Her eyes looking back at him, not backing down from the words her lips had just spoken.

His eyes lowered, taking the sight of them in. Full and luscious and begging to be kissed.

How long they had been the object of his deepest dreams. And yes, he had dreamed of the Leftenant. For his unconscious mind had no problems fantasizing of that which his cognizant mind was too cowardly to act upon.

He took the hand that was currently wrapped around her and hesitantly touched her face, running his fingers along her cheeks and moving gradually towards her lips.

She opened them slightly and his heart fluttered. He bent over slowly, again allowing her the option of pulling back if her mind had changed.

Instead, he was met halfway. Their lips pressing into the others gently and with the electricity that only a first kiss knows. Except this kiss was unlike any others he had ever experienced. And he held onto her firmly, not for comfort or warmth, but stability.

For he was shaken. To his core.

And he pulled away slowly, opening his eyes and staring at hers, seeing she felt the same. He felt her breathe in slowly, expelling the breath she had held and realized he had been holding his as well.

"I love you, Abbie…." He said softly but resolutely, his hand continuing to caress and stroke her face. He watched her eyes soften and close briefly as she pursed her lips. When she opened them again, he saw tears and soon her hands rose to his beard, slowly running her fingers through it.

She leaned over, kissing him again. This time with more passion than the last. Crane knew she wasn't ready yet to say out loud her feelings back to him. And even though he longed to hear a declaration of love from her lips before they took things further, an affirmation he once thought an impossibility, his ideology on intimacy before marriage had softened. And he wanted nothing more than to make love to her… if she wanted the same.

He found himself pushing his tongue against her lips, parting them and allowing their kiss to grow deeper, infused with years of desire that neither could hold back any longer.

She tasted sweet. And he realized in that moment, his dreams had done her no justice. For he could not get enough of her sugary lips and gently pressed her head back on the pillow, plunging in for more.

When he felt her hands in his hair, he couldn't help the moan that escaped from his throat and he pushed his tongue further in her mouth, their lips moving in unison against the other as tongues collided.

Lying on her back, Abbie felt his left hand move from her face, caressing her side as he made his way down to her hip. She shivered against him, shamelessly lost in the way his hands felt on her body and she pulled his face down even further against her.

It was almost immediately after that thought, he broke the kiss. Panting heavily as he laid his forehead against hers. Every breath he exhaled, was one she inhaled. And she closed her eyes, soaking in this new found intimacy between them.

 _God, I love this man…_ She thought to herself. And felt silly for allowing another moment to go by before he heard the words from her lips.

When she opened her eyes, his were on hers. Staring back wildly, as if in disbelief. And she realized then she had spoken her words of love aloud. Allowing him a glimpse into her enigmatic heart but for a second. Long enough for him to understand the depths of her affection.

He stuttered. "If you do not wish to take things further tonight, pray tell me now. For I am a man who is without question, yours. And I do not deem myself able of containing any longer my desire of making love to you…"

His words caught her by surprise, coupled only with the expression in his eyes. She almost looked away, frightened by the intensity and hunger she saw within them.

She had never seen Crane like this. Yes, he was a man, but he kept these longings so bottled up that they were overflowing now that they were unlocked. And the result was someone who made her body and soul ache to be touched and loved.

She sat up slowly, staring at him as she lifted her shirt above her head and discarded it on the floor next to her bed. Abbie watched as his eyes raked over her, staring at her black lace bra as his mouth hung open. He took his hand and ran his fingers lightly over her neck, leaving a hot trail of fire as he proceeded lower and traced the edges of her undergarment. His fingers were soon replaced with his lips and Abbie leaned back resting her head on the pillow as he kissed every bit of her newly exposed skin. She felt his other hand move and reach behind her, attempting to unhook the back clasp. And when she reached back to help him, he quickly moved her hands away and pinned them to her sides.

She obeyed, and watched as he reached back and unfastened her bra, a trick she wondered quietly where he had learned.

Crane pulled it slowly off of her body and took in the view of her bare breasts before his eyes. He drew in a breath, looking upon his partner naked in front of him, more beautiful than he ever imagined. And he couldn't help himself as his mouth slowly made his way to her skin and enclosed her right nipple, gently sucking and licking.

Abbie moaned, pleasure rushing through her body as she felt his tongue on her. And when he switched to her left nipple, she shouted his name louder than she intended.

His face shot up, pure need pinned all over it and he leaned up to take her mouth into his hungrily. He could hardly contain himself after hearing his name on her lips in such a way. And he found himself speaking his wants in between their kisses.

"Abbie… you have no idea the hold you have on me."

His mouth moved down to her neck as his hands found her breasts again, kneading and caressing her raised nipples as she squirmed underneath him. And when he moved his right hand down to her core, touching her through her shorts, she moaned his name once again and her hands moved to his hair.

Crane wanted more of her. And he slipped his hand beneath the elastic to feel her, watching her buck against him as his finger made contact with her clit.

She was so wet. And she bit her lip, painfully aware of how close she was to an orgasm just by his hands. It took everything in her to grab his hand and move it from out of her shorts. Instead, reaching up and pushing him over in the bed so he was now flat on his back and she was straddling him topless.

Abbie wanted to feel him. She _needed_ to feel him. And she lifted his shirt up above his head, slowly kissing his bare chest as her hands touched him for the first time. She smiled and looked up at him, enjoying the sight of this beautiful man before her. And she slowly ran her breasts up his chest as she leaned in to kiss him again.

Her hands found their way down to his pants and she rubbed her hand against him as he groaned.

He was rock hard. And Abbie could almost feel the wetness dripping from her shirts as she reached inside his pants and took him in her hands, slowly stroking him.

"My God, Abbie." He said, his voice stuttering. "You musn't…. I need to be inside you."

And she rose onto her knees and began to unfasten his pants as he reached over and pulled her shorts down hurriedly.

It wasn't long before they both sat before each other, naked from head to toe, each raking their eyes over the other's body.

Crane swallowed the lump in his throat.

"You're perfect." He said softly as his hand reached over to caress the soft skin on her thigh. She smiled, watching his eyes ingest her and knowing he was sealing this moment in his eidetic memory. She silently wished she had that luxury. Because this was a moment she would like to recall for a lifetime. Her eyes fell on his chest and drifted lower taking into view just how deeply he wanted her.

Crane took her in his arms, kissing her as deeply and lovingly as he could and laid her back down on the bed gently.

He moved over her body so he was on top of her, his manhood pressing into her stomach as she pulled him in closer, running her hands along his back.

She wanted this. God knows, she wanted this. And she reached her hand down to guide Crane to her opening, wasting no time in letting him know her wishes. She felt him break away from the kiss, his face lifted slightly above hers as they both silently gazed upon the other as he pressed himself into her.

She cried out, biting her lip and feeling the fullness of his length complete her in a way no man ever did.

"Abbie…" she heard him moan as time stood still and they laid there, connected in a way they had never experienced between them before.

She reached her hands to his face, her fingers brushing his cheeks and his lips. "I love you…" she whispered, as his face bent down to kiss her. "I love you so much it hurts."

Crane became infused. Kissing her between her words of adoration and whispering the same devotion back to her. "I'm yours, Abbie… I always have been."

He began to thrust his body into hers, a soft rhythm that she picked up on immediately and threw right back at him.

He groaned. Knowing this feeling, this moment, was a gift he didn't deserve.

There was no way Ichabod Crane deserved this woman. And yet here he was. Making love to her, kissing her, feeling her body react to his in a way that was about to send him quickly over the edge.

She felt his thrusts become deeper, harder. And Abbie wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper. Her hands were all over him. His hair, his back, his ass.

She whimpered, which seemed to kick him into full gear as he began to pound into her, sending her close to the edge.

"Oh God… Ichabod…." She yelled and soon she felt herself reach that point of no return as her hands dug into his back and held onto him for dear life.

Crane felt her nails dig into him, and kissed her lips still dripping with the residue of his first name. He came undone. And lost himself in his partner, closing his eyes and screaming out her name in what he was sure was a voice loud enough to wake the neighbors.

When he opened his eyes to look down at her, he found a faint smile on her lips.

"That was….." she stopped, unable to find the words.

"Life-changing." He said, no hint of dishonesty in his voice. She smiled, closing her eyes and nodding.

He kissed her softly, pulling himself out of her and lying beside her. Their bodies entwined in one another, it was minutes before she spoke again.

"I don't want us to change, Crane." She said softly. "I mean… I want this." She broke off suddenly, hoping her words did not come across the wrong way.

"But I don't want _us_ ….to change." She said, turning her body to stare into his eyes.

"Leftenant…" he said, and corrected himself. "Abbie… I'm not sure I can ever go back to how it was before."

She sighed. "Crane…", but was cut off.

"What I mean to say is that I am not sure I can ever go back to denying and hiding the fact that you are my life. My first thought when the day wakes me and the last thought when I succumb to my dreams. And I won't ever be able to conceal the love and complete worship of your very being, Grace Abigiail Mills."

He paused. "Please do not ask me to."

She smiled, closing her eyes and shaking her head back and forth.

"Damn, Crane. What the hell am I supposed to say to that?"

He smiled. "Say that you'll have me. All of me. And not push me away."

Abbie looked over at him, his eyes dripping with fear. She knew what he meant. And she knew he was right. All her life she had told herself she didn't need anyone. She could do things for herself. Go through life on her own and be okay. 'Til he showed up.

Until him….

"I want all of you." She said softly. "If you'll take all of me, too." She laughed. "The good, bad and ugly."

He leaned over, kissing her deeply.

"I do."


End file.
